The additional charges bring the total to 34 against Phey Yew Kok, who already faces up to seven years’ jail and is liable to a fine for the earlier charges for criminal breach of trust. He also faces two other Trades Union Act charges.

SINGAPORE: Former chairman of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Member of Parliament Phey Yew Kok, who spent 36 years on the run, faces 28 additional charges after appearing before the State Courts on Thursday (Jul 23).

He now faces 34 charges, of which 28 of them are for criminal breach of trust or of that as a clerk or servant. Phey was present via video-link in a closed-door pre-trial conference as the new charges were read.

Phey, 82, is accused of misappropriating more than S$437,000 between April 1973 and June 1979 after being entrusted with monies from multiple unions and companies, such as the International Metalworkers Federation and the Boon Teck Education Centre belonging to the People’s Action Party. He was also alleged to have dipped into the staff funds of the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation (SILO) and Pioneer Industries Employees Union.

In one of the charges, he was accused of misappropriating more than S$17,600 in November 1978. The money was to be donated to an Industrial Accident Relief Fund.

He is also accused of committing criminal breach of trust with Lee Sin Pin, the general manager of SILO’s Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society supermarket and emporium division, and Leow Geok Koon, the division’s operation manager.

Phey also faces a charge of abetting accountant Kan Mun Leong to give false information to a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau investigator with a letter signed by Yoon Mei Yoke, SILO’s general treasurer. In addition, Phey is accused of asking asking Yoon to fabricate false evidence by erasing an entry in a receipt and replacing it with his name. These were alleged to have happened between June and October 1979. He was arrested in December that year.

Lee, Leow, Kan and Yoon were four of nine that were previously charged in relation to the case.

Phey is represented by Sant Singh S C of Tan Rajah & Cheah. Lawyers told the media that Phey had personally appointed them and that they have yet to take instructions from him on his plea.

No bail was offered to Phey. His case is scheduled for another pre-trial conference on Sep 3 at 9.30am.

Phey is being charged under the 1970 revised edition of the Penal Code. If convicted for criminal breach of trust, Phey could be sentenced to up to three years’ jail for each charge, or up to seven years’ jail if convicted of criminal breach of trust as a clerk or servant. He is also liable to a fine.

The accused turned himself in to authorities in Bangkok and was sent back to Singapore last month.